Well, let’s just say it’s a good thing for all of baseball that the Collective Bargaining Agreement doesn’t expire until 2021.

We’ve got four more seasons of labor peace.

But, oh, will it get ugly then.

Then again, it’s awfully nasty now.

While pitchers and catchers don’t report to spring training for another week, Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Tony Clark and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred were already out throwing shade toward one another, with no catcher needed.

Clark ripped into MLB owners earlier in the day blaming the slow free-agent market on owners not trying to win.

Manfred came blasting back ripping the players for being greedy, saying there already are unsigned players sitting on contract offers exceeding $100 million. Yes, he was talking about Eric Hosmer, Yu Darvish and J.D. Martinez.

Remember all that goodwill and cooperation between the two sides that has kept labor peace since 1995? Those days have gone the way of bullpen cars.

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Oh, and all the hope that Manfred had of reaching a settlement with the union to bring back those bullpen cars and more to speed up the game of baseball, it’s only a pipe dream now.

The union has no interest in trying to reach an agreement on pace of play with more than 100 free agents still unsigned, leaving Manfred now to decide whether to unilaterally implement a pitch clock and limit mound visits by the start of spring-training games, or back off for another year, waiting for the hostilities to simmer.

The union is furious that owners aren’t spending money in the free agent market like they once did, especially with revenues increasing to an all-time high, citing that not a single player has signed for more than center fielder Lorenzo Cain’s five-year $80 million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Statement of #MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark Regarding the Integrity of the Game

Manfred strongly disagreed with the notion last week at the MLB owners’ meetings, citing that teams simply are conducting business differently than in the past, pointing out the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros underwent huge rebuilding projects, and have won the last two World Series titles.

Manfred, of course, was talking about Hosmer having seven-year contract proposals worth at least $140 million from the Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres. There are several five-year contract offers for Darvish. The Boston Red Sox have confirmed they have a five-year deal on the table for Martinez.

Yet, considering outfielder Jason Heyward received an eight-year, $184 million deal two years ago from the Chicago Cubs, and first baseman Chris Davis a seven-year, $161 million contract from the Baltimore Orioles, Boras believes that Hosmer deserves a larger contract.

David Price signed a seven-year, $217 million contract two years ago with the Boston Red Sox while Zack Greinke got a six-year, $206.5 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. No one has come close to offering that type of deal to Darvish or Jake Arrieta, the top two starting pitchers on the market.

Martinez hit 45 homers in just 119 games last season for the Detroit Tigers and Diamondbacks, but the Red Sox are the only team to have offered a five-year contract more than $100 million.

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Third baseman Mike Moustakas broke the Royals’ franchise record with 38 homers last season, but it’s unknown if he even has a contract offer.

So now we’re left with distrust, hostility, and a spring training where we could have a whole lot of nastiness.

The players, at least those who are signed, will arrive on time. They’ll be asked about the slow free-agent market. Some will lash out. Some will stay quiet, not wanting to offend any of their current or future employees. And some, like Brandon Moss of the Oakland A’s, may even blame peers and the union for agreeing to the labor deal that was finalized in December 2016.

We will have baseball just like we always have, only this time, there will be more stars than ever who’ll be late arrivals. Spring training is too long, anyway, and hardly needed for six weeks.

Yet, the intrigue won’t be on positional battles or watching to see who puts on the better batting practice show between Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, but seeing who breaks first.

Will clubs step up and give players that extra year or find another $20 million in their checking account, or will players bite their lips, swallow hard and take deals before someone beats them to it?

Maybe this will turn out to be just a blip on the free-agent landscape. A year from now, we may have everyone asking how it’s possible that anyone can pay Bryce Harper and Manny Machado more than $400 million, while Clayton Kershaw and Dallas Keuchel set records for pitchers.

Then again, maybe so many potential free agents get scared at what transpired this winter, they’ll come to the ballpark with their own pen if management wants to discuss contract extensions.

It’s a whole new world in baseball, back to the days when players and management showed more contempt than trust toward the other.

Perhaps, everything will be mended by opening day.

Or maybe, not until after the season waiting for the free-agent results of next winter.